A Murder of Crows

We’re doing some very noisy grading where we will eventually have a house. Our resident hawks, Hudson and Kitty, do not approve. While I see them soaring nearby every now and then, they’ve stopped their daily patrolling of our meadow. In their place, a posse of crows have moved in. It’s not a good exchange. My research tells me crows will eat small rodents, but they surely aren’t the voracious hunters of moles and gophers that our hawks are. We have the explosion of tunnels and holes to prove it. And they certainly aren’t as pretty as our hawks and their screeches are really annoying. I tell ya, these crows are murder!

I’m always amazed at how exquisitely balanced our Two Terrier Ecosystem is. One thing changes and the whole balance tips a different way. When the hawks took off, the digging rodent population exploded. But so did the little songbirds who are now flying around without fear of being snatched out of the sky by Hudson and Kitty. Much as I love my songbirds, I want my hawks back.

I’m sure crows have their place in the ecosystem, but I’m just not seeing them pulling their weight. What’s worse, just a few Google searches on crows are bringing me too many scary stories about crows taking over whole towns. And apparently, our corvine friends are very smart and carry grudges. (Check out 6 Terrifying Ways that Crows are Way Smarter than You Think.) However, the latest research has not shown, despite their ability to use tools, that crows are on the Internet. So let’s keep this all between you, me and the blog. I want these crows gone.

This used to be Hudson Hawk’s perch. Now a screeching crow is sitting there all day. And he doesn’t seem to be using that perch to patrol for varmints like the hawks did.

I’m told the fastest way to clean out crows is a healthy population of hawks and owls — which we had until recently. I’m hoping, when the construction is done, the raptors and owls will move back in and throw the crows out. Until then, I’ve read that encouraging your dog to chase crows might control them. Uh, not necessarily. Oscar, who has been strutting around now that he was able to bark and get three adult deer to run from him, has been pretty wary about tackling the crows.

Crows can be pretty intimidating when they start strafing you, as this one did while I was trying to get his picture.

Surprisingly, my research into various Native American myths, shows that the crow was pretty universally seen as a positive symbol. The Navaho saw the crow as a scolding grandmother, but one who did so in a loving way. So for now, we’ll align ourselves with First Peoples and respect the crow. In fact, we’re so respectful we’re hunkered down out of their flight path and staying out of the pasture. Until the crows discover my corn patch up at Flying Terrier Farms, the dogs and I will practice the politics of discretion.

About The Author

Although I'd like to think of myself as a rootin', tootin', wine-makin' cowgirl, I currently only live in Sonoma part-time. Mostly I'm on freeways between San Jose and Sonoma. With two yapping terriers in crates behind me. We try to enjoy both places and points in between. Which will explain why my post subjects are all over the map.

3 Comments

Judicious and regular application of birdshot is also a good way to scare them away. One reason they like cities is that they aren’t hunted there.

pam johnson
on August 8, 2012 at 11:00 AM

How are
the terriers at chasing down small rodents? We, too, are plagued by crows and ravens as well as those poop machines, Canada Geese.Local sentment is in favor of both, so of course they have proliferated to serious pest level. For a Native American take on the sacred blackbird, Google “Preston Singletary Ravens.” He is a local Tlingit glass artist who does the most magical sculptures.